A two-dimensional display such as a television has rows and columns of picture elements, or pixels. A one-dimensional display, such as a flying spot scanner or a ribbon of optical (glass or plastic) fibers, has just one row of pixels. The second dimension is created by moving the one-dimensional display relative to the observer. This movement is usually accomplished by rotating a mirror on a galvanometer shaft or by rotating a mirror faceted polygon.
In a known type of helmet-mounted display (HMD), shown in FIG. 1, the light is amplitude modulated at television video rates using an acousto-optical modulator. A rotating mirror faceted polygon scans the light onto the input end of a fiber optic (FO) ribbon via a pair of relay mirrors. The output end of the FO ribbon is positioned one focal length from a lens. One focal length away on the other side of the lens is a mirror mounted on the shaft of a galvanometer. Alternatively, a rotating mirror faceted polygon can be substituted for the galvanometer. The light is reflected by the mirror and passes through the lens again and focuses onto a rear projection screen. The height on the screen is a function of the angle of the mirror. The television image on the screen is relayed by the projection optics, reflects from the partially reflective visor and finally reaches the observer's eyes.
In such a HMD, the complexity of the lens design is affected by the angle of the light exiting the FO ribbon; the smaller the cone angle, the simpler the lens. The optical diffraction limit dictates the minimum cone angle. For example, if the center-to-center fiber spacing is four microns, the minimum cone angle is 4.76 degrees (f-number=F/6). Otherwise, the image of the individual fibers cannot be spatially resolved.
The HMD requires a larger cone angle (typically 18.4 degrees). In order to meet this requirement, the screen must scatter the incident light into a larger cone angle. Unfortunately, scattering in the screen negatively affects the display resolution and contrast. For most applications, color is required. This further increases the complexity and weight of the lens.